Welcome to the Getting Started Guide for Thermo-Calc
How to Set Up a Thermo-Calc Calculation
Open the Thermo-Calc software and make sure you are in Graphical Mode. If you happen to be within the Console Mode, you can click this button 
to switch to Graphical Mode.
In this guide, we will show you the basics of how to set up a One Axis Equilibrium Calculation and view the result both as a plot and a table.
A one axis calculation is very useful to get information about how the phase structure of the material varies with temperature. For example, it can be used to find the suitable temperature range for forging applications. From this calculation, we can also read the liquidus, solidus, and any transformation temperatures. In the example below, we will demonstrate how to use this calculation to find the A3 temperature, an important transformation temperature in steels, for a Fe-C alloy.
Step 1
Open the System Definer by clicking on the System Definer-node.
Step 2
To select the database, click on the drop-down list below Databases in the Configuration window.
For this calculation:
Step 3
Select the elements that you want to include in your calculation. Make sure to select the dependent variable first.
For this calculation:
Step 4
Change the composition for your material by changing the numbers in the text box to the right of the Configuration window.
For this calculation:
For this calculation:
By unticking the Automatic scaling box, you can adjust the scale for each axis. This is not always necessary but is useful if you want another scaling than the one automatically generated. We will leave it checked for this calculation.
When everything is set-up, click the 
button on the bottom of the program to run the calculation.
When the calculation is running, the Event Log will start populating and clocks will appear on each activity node in the Project window. The calculations may take several minutes to run depending on the type of calculation.
Once the calculation is done, the results will appear in the Visualizations window.
Interpretation of the Result
According to this diagram, the steel will solidify as FCC phase (blue line) and we will have a region with 100% FCC before BCC starts to form. At 1498°C we have the liquidus temperature, which is found where the red line reaches 1 mole. The solidus temperature is found where the amount of liquid is zero, which is around 1436°C. The BCC phase (green line) starts to form at around 770°C and this is where we find the A3 temperature.
View the Results in a Table
If you want the result shown in a table, you can easily add a Table Renderer by right-clicking on the Equilibrium Calculator node > Create New Successor > Table Renderer, and the Table Renderer node will appear in the Project window.
You can also add more columns by clicking on the plus sign and remove columns by clicking on the minus sign.
When everything is set-up, click the button on the bottom of the program to run the calculation.
Once the calculation is done, the results will appear in the Visualizations window.
Table View Option
As of the 2022a release, you can choose to view your plotted result in a table directly in the Plot Renderer. This provides a quick and easy way to view a table without creating another node.
To do this, return to the Plot Renderer node and select the Table View option in the top menu of the Configuration window then click Perform at the bottom, center of the program. Your plot will be replaced with a table.
Step 1
Depending on which window you are in:
- In the Visualizations window, right-click the diagram and select Save As…
- In the Configuration window you can also click the Save Diagram buttons to open the Save window.
Step 2
In the Save window:
- Navigate to where you want to save the diagram.
- Enter a file name.
- From the Files of Type list choose png (the default), jpg, ps, pdf, gif, svg, or emf.
- You can set the resolution of the image by unchecking the Use default resolution box and setting a different resolution.
- When you are ready, click Save.
Step 1
Depending on which window you are in:
- In the Visualizations window, right-click the diagram and select Save As…
- In the Configuration window you can also click the Save table button to open the Save window.
Step 2
In the Save window:
- Navigate to where you want to save the diagram.
- Enter a file name.
- From the Files of Type list choose Text [*.txt](the default), Hyper Text Markup [*.html], or Excel [*.xls].
- When you are ready, click Save.
Step 1
Navigate to the top menu and select File > Save Project or Save Project As…
Step 2
In the Save Project window:
- Navigate to where you want to save the table.
- Enter a file name.
- When you are ready, click Save.
If you want the results to show up the next time you open the file, without having to run the calculation again, you can select the Include calculated results in the project file option at the bottom of the Save Project window. This will save you time when you open the file, but will result in a larger file.
Perform Parallel Calculations
If you want to combine calculations, you can add additional activity nodes to your project to link information. For instance, you can add two calculators to one plot to compare the results. The example video T_05 – Stable and Metastable Phase Diagrams, shows how to plot a metastable and a stable phase diagram in two separate plots and how to combine them into one single plot.
These images show two examples on how you can combine different activity nodes to perform several calculations in one single project.
Step 1
On the homescreen of the software, click the Example Files icon.
or
Navigate to the top menu and click Help > Example Files…
Step 2
A pop-up window will appear, showing folders with calculations for the different modules. Navigate through the folders, select the calculation you want to run, and click Open.
Step 3
When the example file opens, the different activity nodes will appear in the Project window. To run the calculation, right-click on the top node and click Perform Now.
To rename an activity node you simply right-click on the node in the Project window and select Rename. Write the name of the node in the textbox and click OK.
Save the project as usual.
Once you reopen your project, the name of your nodes will be the same as when you saved the project.
Go to the activity node where you want to add a note. Click on the page button at the bottom of the Configuration window. Save your project as usual and the note will be saved with your project file.
In the Plot Properties window, you can edit fonts and font size for the labels, legends, and titles. You can also change the line thickness, color, and more.
Play around with the settings and see what settings are best for your purpose.
As of the 2022b release, you can use themes to save your plot settings. This is especially useful if you need consistent looking plots, for example, for a presentation, publication, or collaboration. The theme settings are located at the top of the properties window. You can either use the predefined plot themes or define your own themes.
You can read more about the themes by searching for Plot Themes in the online help. The online help is accessed from within Thermo-Calc in the Help menu > Online Help.
- Right-click on the plot
- Click Add Label…
- Write the name of the label in the text box
- When you are ready, click OK
Dark Mode
Dark mode is available in Graphical Mode as of Thermo-Calc 2023a. To switch to dark mode, go to Tools in the top menu of the software and click Options. Next to Look and feel in the Options window, select FlatLaf Dark in the drop-down list and click OK.
